The city of Miami wants to toughen the penalties against animal abuse with an increase of over $2,000 in fines and new provisions regarding the care of pets.
The initiative arose after several episodes of cruelty that sparked outrage among residents, including the rescue of a malnourished dog that had been abandoned for days on the balcony of a luxury building.
According to the Miami Commission agenda for this Thursday, October 22, three proposals will be discussed, identified as FR.4, FR.5, and FR.6, related to animal protection, including one spearheaded by Commissioner Damian Pardo.
The objective is to update the municipal regulations related to animal protection, increase financial penalties for certain violations, and strengthen the tools available to act against those who do not comply with the rules.
The fines have not increased yet. The changes must be approved by the Miami Commission before becoming applicable municipal provisions.
Pardo explained that the initiative directly responds to recent cases of abuse that have gained public attention, as well as to the reports his office receives from residents concerned about the safety of animals.
"We frequently receive emails from residents reporting individuals who throw dogs into the water and a general increase in recent cases of animal cruelty. We want to pursue higher fines and stricter regulations, if possible," said the commissioner to WLRN.
The complaints mentioned by Pardo reflect the concerns of the residents, although no official figures have been released to determine how many incidents of that kind have been confirmed by the authorities.
In September, a video shared on social media showed the visibly malnourished animal lying on the floor of the balcony, which sparked a mobilization of neighbors and animal advocates.
The puppy was left exposed to the rain and, according to reports, did not have enough food, water, or adequate hygiene conditions.
The images generated over 100 reports to the authorities in just a few hours, prompting police officers and staff from Miami-Dade Animal Services to intervene.
Finally, the dog was rescued from the balcony of an apartment in ParkLine Miami and its owner ended up arrested.
The detained individual was identified as Kevin Alexander Benjamin, 27 years old, charged with animal cruelty with the intent to injure or kill, a third-degree felony in Florida.
The animal was placed under specialized care after being found in conditions that sparked a strong public reaction.
The case highlighted the importance of citizen reports in identifying situations of alleged abuse that occur within private properties and may go unnoticed for days.
The measures currently being considered by Miami aim to enhance the response capacity to such situations.
The first seeks to amend Chapter 6 of the City of Miami Code to establish harsher civil penalties for certain animal cruelty violations and authorize their enforcement by animal control officials, in accordance with the powers granted by law.
The second proposes updating fines for violations of municipal animal welfare regulations and incorporating additional infractions, including leaving dogs unattended on balconies without water or shade during severe weather alerts or for more than an hour between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.
The third focuses on reviewing the provisions related to the use of leashes and the control of domestic animals on public and private properties, as well as updating legal definitions to align them with Miami-Dade and Florida regulations.
Therefore, the changes are not limited to punishing serious episodes of cruelty. They also aim to clarify the obligations of pet owners and facilitate the enforcement of animal protection laws.
Although the new fines are not yet approved, Damian Pardo's proposal includes penalties of $2,500 for a first violation of certain animal protection provisions, $5,000 for a second, and $7,500 for a third or subsequent violation, applicable for each animal and incident.
The municipal proposal is based on recent changes in state legislation.
The Florida HB 559 law, approved in 2026 and effective since October 1, expanded the legal tools to sanction specific acts of animal cruelty and increased the limits of civil penalties that local authorities can impose.
The regulation also strengthened provisions related to cruelty committed in the presence of minors, animal fighting, and public information about individuals responsible for certain acts of abuse.
Among its changes is the update of the state database of offenders for animal cruelty, managed by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).
This legal framework allows municipal governments to review their own ordinances, although each local modification must follow the appropriate approval procedure.
In the case of Miami, it will be the Municipal Commission that decides this Thursday whether to move forward with the submitted proposals.
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